


Hands Down

by untiltheyfindtheperfectgirl



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-02
Updated: 2018-02-02
Packaged: 2019-03-12 13:51:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13548675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/untiltheyfindtheperfectgirl/pseuds/untiltheyfindtheperfectgirl
Summary: “Alright guys,” Richie spoke into the microphone, head down as he played the riff a few times repetitively. “We’ve got a new one for ya…”Eddie swore he could hear Beverly’s scream over the sound of the rest of the crowd.“It’s kinda important to me, so… be gentle,” Richie laughed, still looking down at the frets of his guitar. “Here it is…”





	Hands Down

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going through a major Dashboard Confessional phase right now and I can't get over this song and Richie playing it for Eddie...
> 
> Go watch Chris Carrabba's incredible performance of the song:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyMZCc-r4k4
> 
>  
> 
> Also this kinda sucks and personally I'm not a fan of songfics but like, too bad... sorry...

Eddie leant back against the bar, sipping at a drink that he was too young to have legally acquire with a smile as the applause of the crowd died down following the previous song in the set. He twirled the straw between his fingers, chewing on it slightly as he watched Richie throw back a bottle of water while pushing his unruly curls away from his sweat-slicked face. 

Eddie took a moment to peer around the dark club, looking for his friends who had all split up once Richie’s band had taken to the stage, while Richie ducked towards the wing of the stage to swap guitars. Ben, Bill, and Stan had all grabbed an empty booth in the corner deciding to listen to the music from the comfortable spot, while Bev had rushed into the crowd to push herself to the front of the stage, dragging a chuckling Mike along behind her. Eddie wanted to enjoy the show from a closer vantage point than the booth, but the idea of being squished amongst sweaty strangers hadn’t appealed to him in the same ways as it had to Bev, so Eddie had ended up perched on a stool at the bar along the edge of the club.

A familiar, repetitive chord progression pulled his attention from Beverly and Mike and back towards where Richie had taken up post behind the microphone in the middle of the stage. Eddie had been listening to the short riff for weeks now as Richie played it repeatedly while he lounged around their apartment. He had driven Eddie completely crazy, repeating the ten second tune over and over but not giving Eddie any indication as to what song it was from. 

“Alright guys,” Richie spoke into the microphone, head down as he played the riff a few times repetitively. “We’ve got a new one for ya…”

Eddie swore he could hear Beverly’s scream over the sound of the rest of the crowd.

“It’s kinda important to me, so… be gentle,” Richie laughed, still looking down at the frets of his guitar. “Here it is…”

 

_Breathe in for luck,_

_Breathe in so deep,_

_This air is blessed,_

_You share with me._

Eddie took in a sharp breath at the softness of Richie’s voice. Richie had yet to play him this song, but Eddie knew it was about them.

_This night is wild_

_So calm and dull,_

_These hearts they race,_

_From self-control_

_Your legs are smooth,_

_As they graze mine,_

_We_ _’_ _re doing fine,_

_We_ _’_ _re doing nothing at all._

Richie looked up from his guitar as the rest of the band joined in, making eye contact with Eddie. He grinned at Eddie’s surprised face, making Eddie blush like a flustered teenager.

_My hopes are so high,_

_That your kiss might kill me._

_So won_ _’_ _t you kill me,_

_So I die happy._

_My heart is yours to fill or burst,_

_To break or bury,_

_Or wear as jewelry,_

_Whichever you prefer_

_The words are hushed let_ _’_ _s not get busted,_

_Just lay entwined here, undiscovered._

Eddie sighed, thinking back to high school when Richie would sneak into Eddie’s room every night just to keep him company. Eddie’s mother was painfully overbearing so Eddie was forced to stay in a lot of the time. Sonia never knew, however, that Richie was always there sitting on his bed waiting for Eddie to storm into his bedroom crying about not being allowed to go to Bill’s for a movie night with the rest of his friends. Richie always skipped movie night when Eddie wasn’t allowed out and would hold Eddie as he ranted and cried about how unfair his mother was.

_Safe from the hour and all the stupid questions_

_“_ _Hey, did you, get some?_ _”_

_Man, that is so dumb._

_Stay quiet, stay near, stay close, they can_ _’_ _t hear,_

_So we can get some._

Eddie felt a laugh gurgle up in his constricted throat at how ridiculous Richie was, even in his song writing. Richie grinned again, clearly please with himself for making Eddie laugh.

 _My hopes are so high that your kiss might kill me._  
So won't you kill me, so I die happy.  
My heart is yours to fill or burst,  
To break or bury, or wear as jewelry,  
Whichever you prefer.

 _Hands down this is the best date I can ever remember,_  
Always remember, the sound of the stereo,  
The dim of the soft lights,  
The scent of your hair that you twirled in your fingers  
And the time on the clock when we realized it's so late  
And this walk that we shared together.  
The streets were wet and the gate was locked so I jumped it,  
And let you in.

Eddie’s hands flailed, coming to clutch at his throat as he realized that the song was about the night Eddie had come out to Sonia. She had had her biggest meltdown to date, sobbing and insisting that they could fix it and that Eddie was just sick, but she could help him get better. Eddie had fled the scene, locking himself in his room to call Richie and beg him to come over.

Richie had been confused but had rushed to Eddie’s house instantly, completely unprepared for what awaited him. Eddie had crashed through the front door of his house as soon as Richie set foot on his lawn. Eddie had been watching from his bedroom window, waiting for Richie to turn the corner onto his street.

Eddie stumbled into his arms, sobbing as his legs gave out and the two boys slumped into the grass, Eddie’s face pressed tight against Richie’s neck as his hands twisted in the front of his shirt. Richie had simply pulled his boyfriend into his lap, entirely bewildered. When Eddie started rambling about his mom thinking he was sick and wanting to fix him Richie had begun shedding his own tears, wanting desperately to make the pain and shame they were both feeling in that moment disappear.

  
__  
And you stood at your door with your hands on my waist  
And you kissed me like you meant it.  
And I knew that you meant it, that you meant it,  
That you meant it, and I knew,  
That you meant it, that you meant it.

Eddie jumped from his barstool, screaming his appreciation of the song along with the rest of the crowd while wiping furiously at the few traitorous tears that had escaped from his eyes. Eddie grinned, biting his bottom lip as he felt pride swell up in his chest while he watched Richie embarrassedly mutter a quick thanks before pulling back from the microphone. The majority of his face was hidden by his hair but Eddie could make out the slight flush on his cheeks and the small grin on his lips. 

The show quickly ended, Richie’s band thanking the crowd and wishing them all a good night before the stage lights went down and some of the lights by the bar went up, the speakers overhead pounding out some classic rock as the crowd broke up, claiming booths and barstools.

Once the crowd had dissipated enough Eddie made a beeline for the stage door, ducking under Bev’s incoming arm as her and Mike approached him on his way. He would talk to them later, but for now he needed to go and see Richie.

Eddie pushed on the bar of the stage door, blinking against the bright fluorescent lighting in the hallway that connected the back of the bar to the stage and storage area. 

“Hey, you can’t be back here-” 

“No, he’s fine,” came Richie’s voice, interrupting the staff member who was preparing to scold Eddie. “He’s with me.”

Eddie turned in the direction of Richie’s voice, grinning when he saw his boyfriend packing up his beloved acoustic guitar, which in reality was quite beat up, while his bandmates stood nearby chatting and smoking. Eddie rushed towards him, throwing his arms around Richie’s neck once he was stood up properly.

“Chee,” Eddie laughed directly into Richie’s ear with a whisper. 

“I take it you liked it?” Richie chuckled with relief. 

“I loved it, it was amazing,” Eddie gushed, leaning away from Richie enough to make eye contact with him. “Easily my new favourite!”

“What?!” Richie asked in mock-horror. “What about the first song I _ever_ wrote?!”

“Rich,” Eddie frowned, restraining from cracking a grin. “I’ve told you a million times, Eddie Spaghetti is the worst song you’ve ever written and I absolutely hate it.”

“Naw,” Richie laughed, shrugging Eddie’s comment off jokingly. “Wouldn’t have won all those awards for it if it wasn’t so great.”

“It was one fourth grade talent show!” Eddie shot back, pulling away from Richie and glaring at him. “It’s not like it was a Grammy or anything.”

“Eh, same thing,” Richie shrugged again, grinning down at Eddie who rolled his eyes with fake annoyance. 

“Seriously though, Rich,” Eddie continued, wrapping his arms around Richie’s torso and resting a cheek against Richie’s chest contentedly. “I love that song. You’re lucky I didn’t kill you last week. If you had played that fucking opening one more time without showing me the whole song I might had pushed you off the balcony.” 

Richie laughed softly at the joke, wrapping his arms around Eddie’s shoulders and resting his chin on the top of his head.

“You’re quiet,” Eddie observed when Richie didn’t comment any further.

“Just…” Richie began, sighing embarrassedly before steeling himself to just ask Eddie what he had been wondering. “You know what it was about, right?”

“Of course,” Eddie whispered, pressing against Richie a little more.

“That’s my best day,” Richie spoke into Eddie’s hair.

“Mine too,” Eddie swallowed, blinking back tears.

After collapsing on the Kaspbrak’s front lawn, Richie had pulled them both up wiped their tears and gave the foulest pep talk Eddie had ever heard. Eddie had brought Richie’s rant to an abrupt end with a strong, insistent kiss. The boys had then marched into the house, packed up Eddie’s belongings and fled the house, telling Sonia to shove her delusional ideas up her ass. Eddie had then moved in with the Toziers for the remaining few months of high school before the boys had moved out to Seattle for college.

That day was a fresh breath in Eddie’s memory.


End file.
